Section of Cumberland Ave., University Commons Way to Temporarily Close

Communications Director

Section of Cumberland Ave., University Commons Way to Temporarily Close

Posted: 06/19/2015

Two major street closures are scheduled next week as milestones are met and work progresses on the City of Knoxville’s Cumberland Avenue Corridor Project:

• The entrance to the University Commons shopping center from Cumberland Avenue will be closed Monday, June 22, through Thursday, June 25, while construction crews connect stormwater quality devices with the Cumberland Avenue stormwater line. University Commons will remain accessible from Joe Johnson Drive, via Neyland Drive.

• From 10 a.m. Friday, June 26, through noon Monday, June 29, all lanes of Cumberland Avenue, in both directions, will be closed between 22nd Street and the ramps east of Alcoa Highway. Crews will be installing a stormwater line and rebuilding the railroad crossing in that section of Cumberland Avenue.

“The rebuilding of the at-grade railroad crossing is a milestone in the Phase I work, as it required significant coordination with multiple stakeholders,” said Project Manager Anne Wallace.

“We know it’ll be a challenging weekend for merchants and motorists, but we ask for patience as these strategic upgrades are put in place. The end result will be better traffic flow and a rejuvenated Cumberland Avenue Corridor.”

The work is part of the City of Knoxville’s $17 million initiative to redesign Cumberland Avenue from Alcoa Highway east to 17th Street, changing the existing four-lane street to a three-lane cross section with a raised median and left-turn lanes at intersections. Sidewalks will be widened and landscaped, and utility lines relocated, to create a more attractive, safer, pedestrian-friendly corridor.

Construction is proceeding in two phases, with Phase I (from Alcoa Highway to 22nd Street) to be completed by the end of 2015, and Phase II (from 22nd Street to just east of 17th Street) scheduled for completion in August 2017.

Next week’s work comes during a period of construction in which all eastbound lanes of Cumberland Avenue are currently closed between University Commons and West Volunteer Boulevard. One westbound lane is open. This closure is scheduled to be completed by Aug. 1, allowing for the installation of a new 42-inch stormwater line approximately 12 feet below the roadway. After the closure, there will be one lane of traffic in each direction – eastbound and westbound – through the completion of Phase I work.

For more information about the Cumberland Avenue reconstruction, regular updates and special offers from area merchants, see www.cumberlandconnect.com.